Scott and Rhonda > Family History > Skweres

Skweres Family History

Jozef Skweres was born March 10, 1850 in the village of Mirzewo, Poland, near Jarzabkowo in the province of Poznan. His parents were Lorenz and Marianna (Grabinski) Skweres. His mother died soon after, and his father married Agnes Zukaczyk, who apparently raised Jozef, as she was listed as his mother in the church records when he married Agnes Nowaczyk in 1871.

Jozef's wife Agnes Nowaczyk was born January 11, 1844 just northeast of Mirzewo in the village of Malenin, Poland. She was the daughter of Blasius Nowaczyk and his second wife, Marianna Szczesniak. Joe and Agnes were married in Witkowo on October 15, 1871. They had six children: Albert, Josephine, Franciska, Mike, Rosalia, and Frank. About 1890, Albert and his cousin Sylvester left Poland for America, followed by their families. They reported arriving at Galveston, Texas on May 7, 1891. A ship's passenger list dated 29 Apr 1892 for the ship Italia from Swinemunde (now Swinoujscie), Poland to New York lists Jozef and his brother Martin, their wives, and several of the children. Jozef gives his point of origin as Pakszyn, Poland. Martin lists Arengowo (now Arcugowo). These villages are several miles west of Witkowo.

The Skweres family settled on the far side of Brenham, near Somerville. Sylvester Skweres' father Michael, Jozef's brother, died in 1894 and is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Brenham. The younger generation soon settled down and began to raise families. Franciska married Mike Kwiatkowski on November 13, 1895 in Brenham. Albert Skweres married Magdalena Twardowski, widow of Martin Stegent, who had six young children. Josephine married Frank Swierkowski in February 1897. Michael married Valeria Twardowski, and had a son Bruno who became a priest. Rozalia became the second wife of Stanislaus Wisniewski. They were married in November 1900. The youngest child, Frank, married Cecilia Golla in November of 1911.

Agnes died September 4, 1899, and was buried in Brenham. Jozef soon remarried to a cousin of Agnes', Anna Kopycinski. Anna was the widow of a Mr. Barzinski. In the 1900 census an 8 year old boy named Stan Barchinske is enumerated with Jozef Skweres, and is probably Anna's son. Anna is listed as a servant at a house nearby. Jozef and Anna had three children, Charles, who died of pneumonia at the age of 18, Antonette, who died at the age of 12, and Martin, who married Mary Przyborski and had a son named Ike and a daughter (name unknown).

On September 24, 1906 at the age of 56, Joe Skweres filed his Declaration of Intent to become a citizen. It was witnessed by his nephew, Sylvester. Joe filed papers again later, but never gained his citizenship. Suffering from a blood infection he developed from an abscessed tooth, Jozef died on December 7, 1921, and was buried near his first wife Agnes in Calvary Cemetery, Brenham. Their graves are marked by wooden crosses made from a bois d'arc tree by their youngest son Frank.

Links:

Rhonda Steedman's Family History Page

This page was last updated on 14 June 2011